BMDA earns Tk 1.78b as irrigation charge in north-west region

RAJSHAHI, July 16 (BSS): The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has realised around Taka 1.78 billion as irrigation charge in the last 2013-14 fiscal, up by Taka 17.89 crore over the previous 2012-13 fiscal.
According to the sources concerned, over 0.53 million hectares including 0.25 million hectares of irri-boro lands were brought under irrigation facilities through operating 14,286 power-driven deep tube wells (DTWs) in almost everywhere in the country's northwest region.
The irrigated lands have yielded around 3.43 million tonnes including 6.10 million tonnes of additional crops especially food grain in the region especially the vast Barind tract yearly.
Engineer Ahsan Zakir, Executive Director of BMDA, told BSS that the region scored significant progress in the crop production sector following the expansion of irrigation facilities along with supplying water from the re-excavated canals and ponds.
Even in around 25 years back, only a single crop could be produced in the areas depending on the rainfall.  But, at present, at least three crops are being harvested by dint of the expanded irrigation facilities.
Around 57.57 percent area of the total 0.58 million hectares of cultivable lands of the region has, so far, been brought under the irrigation facilities. Prior to the inception of BMDA the number of DTWs was only 500 in total irrigated area of about 5,000 hectares. At that time, the farmers had to depend on mercy of rainwater for the cultivation.
Now, the number of DTWs has enhanced at 14,286 in the command areas irrigating 0.53 million  hectares of crop lands round the year benefiting more than 0.54 million  farmer families.
In addition to the irrigation activities, the BMDA has been implementing various need-oriented uplift programs aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions by increasing crop production side by side protecting the region from adverse impact of the environment. It has already executed 27 projects under its command areas from 1985-86 to 2011-12.
Currently, nine other projects are being implemented in different districts and around eighty percent of the total work has been completed while the rest is expected to be executed in phases by June 2016.
Ahsan Zakir mentioned that some of the projects had initially been executed with the government funds. But, now the BMDA has been implementing the projects with its own funds along with payment of monthly staff salaries since the last couple of years.
"We are working to revive 2569 non-functional deep tube wells owned by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) in 13 districts of the region at a cost of Taka 1.98 billion in phases," he said.
Additional 2.44 million metric tonnes of food grain is expected to be produced in the region if the rest 0.58 million hectares of non-irrigated land were brought under irrigation.
Till last June, the BMDA excavated 1319-kilometer canal, re-excavated 2944 khash ponds and constructed 14,277 water distribution infrastructures and 649 cross-dams, which ensured a sound irrigation system.